Global Hidradenitis Suppurativa Epidemiology: Exploring Themes and Gaps beyond Europe, Australia, and the USA

BACKGROUND: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. Although a prevalence estimate has been proposed, this is based largely on studies from Europe, USA, and Australia. As literature on HS is scarce beyond these populations, our knowledge on epidemiology and clinical presentation from these areas are limited.

SUMMARY: A narrative literature search was conducted on the PubMed Medline database on November 6th, 2023, to examine HS epidemiological data from Asia, Latin America, North America, Africa, and Oceania, excluding articles from Europe, USA, and Australia. Relevant data (e.g., prevalence, gender distribution, age, smoking status) were extracted. A total of 26 articles were included: three from Africa, four from Latin America, one from North America, 18 from Asia, and none from Oceania. Prevalence varied widely, from 0.41% in Brazil to 3.2% in Greenland. Female predominance was noted in Latin America and Greenland, while male predominance was observed in Asia. Smoking rates varied significantly, from 0% in Ghana to 93.8% in Greenland.

KEY MESSAGES: (1) There is a notable lack in epidemiological HS data from large areas of the globe, particularly from Africa, Latin America, and Oceania. Further, significant heterogeneity in methodology and data reporting leads to inconsistencies in the comparability of the available data; (2) there are notable differences in gender distribution of HS across regions, with female predominance seen in Latin America and Greenland, while male predominance is more common in East Asia; (3) obesity and smoking, factors commonly described as risk factors for HS, where not consistently described across the studies, suggesting possible regional differences in risk factors; (4) it is crucial to encourage HS research globally to improve understanding, diagnosis, and treatment options for this significant disease.